“…Why should we be deprived, that we may not bring the offering of G-d in its appointed season?…” – Bamidbar 9:7

לָמָּה נִגָּרַע לְבִלְתִּי הַקְרִיב אֶת קָרְבַּן ה’ בְּמֹעֲדוֹ – במדבר ט, ז

The mitzvah of Pesach Sheni, the second opportunity to offer the Pesach sacrifice, is somewhat of an anomaly among the other mitzvos of the Torah. All the other mitzvos are characterized by obedience; we dutifully follow whatever G-d instructs us. Pesach Sheni, however, came about through the insistence of a few people who were restricted from offering the Pesach in its proper time due to their ritual impurity. They approached Moshe and begged not to be deprived of offering this sacrifice.

Seemingly, what room was there for their request? If G-d had not communicated a desire that they bring the Pesach offering at a later occasion, then they were obviously not obligated to do so! Yet, in response to their demand, G-d gave the Jewish people a new mitzvah, the observance of the Pesach Sheni.

From here we learn, that when a Jew senses that he is being deprived of an opportunity associated with Torah and mitzvos, he must not come to terms with the fact that it has not come his way, or that G-d has not yet obligated him in this area. Rather, he must pursue such opportunities and demand, “why should I be deprived?”

As the Talmud (Berachot 33b) declares, “everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven.” This means that with regard to a Jew’s relationship with G-d, G-d waits for the person to express and pursue his desire for this relationship. When a Jew shows that matters of Torah and mitzvos deeply concern him, G-d graciously grants him additional opportunities for the connection that he seeks.

—Toras Menachem 5744, vol. 3, pp. 1679-1682